Basic Principles of the
Hellenic Ethnic Religion
The True Being
The most important principle for us Hellenes is that of the
“True Being”1. The True Being is unborn and eternal (it has no
beginning and no end), a given and imperishable whole which
contains with in it an endless evolution of forms and states.
The True Being is unique, homogeneous, immovable, in-
finite and perfect. These last two characteristics of it do not
contradict the fact that, what it contains is quantitatively
measurable and it evolves. The True Being is axiomatically
the image of infinity and perfection, because nothing exists
outside of it, so there is nothing that, compared with it, would
make it determined as “finite” and “imperfect”.
Since nothing exists outside the True Being, it is axiomat-
ically identified with the Divinity. This is where we Hellenes
differ from Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity
and Islam, all of which consider their supposed god as pre-ex-
isting and outside2 the True Being. This way they profanely de-
grade the True Being into something created or constructed.
Everything that “exists”3 (υπάρχει) or “is”4 (υφίσταται), is
part of the True Being and shares its stable and unchangeable
substance5 (ουσία).
1 The word “Ον” is a neuter gender participle of the verb “ειμί” which means “to
be”. “Being” is everything that is.
2 For the Abrahamics or Monotheists, God supposedly pre-existed the universe,
and created it from nothing. For us nothing can be created from nothing (“ουδέν
εξ ουδενός”, “ex nihilo nihil”).
3 It has an existence (ύπαρξις) from “ypo” [“υπό”, under] and “archo” (“άρχω”,
“I start or cause to start”), it is drawn from a higher source or a creative Principle
(“Αρχή”). Axiomatically, an existence (ύπαρξις) comes after and is not equal with
its creative “Αρχή”.
4  It has substance (υπόστασις), that is support in order to manifest (“υπό” and
“στάσις”). Therefore, whatever has “υπόστασις” is outside and under some su-
perior source or creative Principle (“Αρχή”). Axiomatically, each “υπόστασις”
comes after its creative “Αρχή”.
5 Substance is that which consists and defines the “Being”. The word “ουσία” in
Greek comes from the feminine participle “ούσα” of the verb “ειμί”.
The Cosmos (World)
All the parts of the “True Being” which are governed by or-
der at its current form constitute the Cosmos. Those few re-
maining parts constitute the Tartarus, a word deriving ety-
mologically from the word “ταραχή” which means disorder.
In Greek mythology Tartarus is the brother of Cosmos and
their father is Chaos, so we can say that Tartarus is the sub-
stance (Ουσία) that has its qualities still undefined.
We Hellenes define the Cosmos as a part of the infinite Be-
ing that has attained harmony and beauty. Cosmos in an-
cient Greek means a jewel or adornment. Like the “True Be-
ing” the Cosmos is imperishable and uncreated6, its internal
order has been designed by itself and consists of a logically
organized sum7. Just like the “True Being”, the Cosmos is not
a “person” but the first division of the whole Being8.
For us Hellenes the Cosmos in its totality is alive and materi-
al (a living substance), and is constituted of two levels of life that
differ only in the qualitative characteristics of the common Sub-
stance. The first level is the invisible world of imperishability,
the world of the immortal things that have not been detached
from the creative “Cause” and are characterized by immortal-
ity, infinity and knowledge. The other level is the visible world
and perishable world, with beings that have be separated from
the creative “Cause” and are characterized by mortality, form
or appearance, and limited or complete lack of knowledge.
6 It was never “born” neither “created” by anyone, but each one of its forms
emerged through its preceding one. Therefore, the “Cosmos” (“Κόσμος”) for us
Hellenes “emerged out of itself” (“ανεδύθη αφ’ εαυτού”).
7 For this reason the Cosmos can be approached and explained logically, some-
thing the Hellenes achieved. The greatest gift of the Hellenes to the rest of hu-
manity is the logical understanding and definition of the Cosmos.
8 We define a “person” (“πρόσωπον”) as an ephemeral self-conscious being that,
due to its limited nature, (its primary feature is its “όψις” i.e. “look”, that’s why
the word derives from the preposition “προς” i.e. towards and the noun “ωψ” i.e.
eye) it is led to understand the Whole (Όλον) as an “external” and alien reality.
 The Gods

The Gods have emerged from the “True Being” as a simple

multiplication of itself into separate entities9, and for this
reason they retain all its qualities, which are immortali-
ty, infinity and knowledge. The mission of the Gods is the
establishment and maintenance of the unity and the or-
der of the Cosmos10.
Thus the true Gods are perfect beings that impose order
and possess immortality and knowledge. They infuse the
world without any obstructions by acting on it. They are
subject to the natural laws that they serve, and they par-
take in the eternal rebirth and continuous synthesis and
decomposition of the forms.
As to their nature the true and natural Gods are perfect,
virtuous, immortal, unchangeable, infinite, just, all-wise,
eternal, non-personal, without gender11, unifying, ethere-
al and permeate all matter.
It is self-evident that these true and natural Gods do not
retire, or combine in one person, cannot be substituted
and do not cease to exist. They cannot be defeated accord-
ing to the desires of profane mortals or even organized
systems of irreverence.
The Human Being
The Mortal Beings
The human being is a biological species that is, although
Every living being and everything that exists in the visi- feebly, connected with the divine because Nature has ac-
ble world of perishability12, has been physically born. Its tivated in its brain the “Logos”, making it the only mor-
body has a temporal beginning and thus a temporal end, tal being capable for logical thinking and true knowledge.
making it subject to corruption and mortality. “The only being, understanding science and accepting it
The characteristics of perishability and mortality are because of reason” according to Speusippus.
unrelated to the time it takes for them to be manifested. As logical beings, humans are differentiated from other
Humans, animals, plants and rocks are without excep- primary biological species that socialize based on laws of
tion perishable in form and thus mortal. Death, which nature, and form complex social groupings (from families
will discuss later, dissolves and funnels the matter of to nations) and adopt laws and institutions. Humans show
the forms, towards the creation of new forms and at the a constant curiosity to examine and understand their own
same time it gives to the immortals their material ani- kind and their environment, but also construct and invent
mate quantity. ceaselessly13 developing new tools and capabilities. So hu-
mans create law, civilization, and technology.
9 They consist of a multiplied Whole.
10 Cornutus defines them as “organizers and makers of all creation” (“θετήραςκαι The greatest achievement of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion
ποιητάς των γινομένων”), and Herodotus writes that they are named “Θεοί” be- and its timeless gift to humanity is “Humanism”, that is
cause “they gave and arranged everything in proper order and they also ruled”
(“ότι κόσμωι θέντες τα πάντα πράγματα και πάντας νομάς είχον”).
the respect afforded to the human substance. For us Hel-
11 The Gods are distant from the nature of mortal beings primarily because no lenes the Human being consists of a value in itself14, and all
God can be differentiated from the “Prime Cause” (that is the Primeval Divinity humans are related because of their logical nature15. But
that is equated with the “True Being” and is the instigator of the Universe or
Cosmos). Sallust writes: “ Every God is Good, without passions, and not subject only those human beings that have their logical nature
to change. Is uncreated and not contained in a body or in space, it cannot be ethically activated through Arete (excellence or goodness)
separated from the “Prime Cause” nor from the other Gods, in the same way that
thoughts cannot be separated from the mind.” truly connect with the Divine.
12 Contrary to what the Abrahamic or monotheistic religions, and their contem-
porary “Secular” successors, maintain, everything is material and animate. 13 Either for creative or destructive purposes. The character of every human
innovation is defined by good intentions and Arete (which will discuss later) or
their opposites.
14 A self-contained and absolute Value. Humanism is in essence the respect
shown towards the divine substance “Logos-Reason” that human beings embody.
15 They are “participants in a common intellectual nature” as defined by Marcus
Aurelius.
 Life
Every being in the undefined world of incorruptibility,
form the “True Being” to its endless multiplications (Gods,
etc.…) is immortal and thus eternally alive. On the other
hand every being in the observable world of corruptibility,
from the biggest to the smallest, partakes through its indi-
vidual lifespan in the phenomenon that is Life. So we can
define Life at this level of the manifested world as the sum
of the natural biological expressions.
Life in this manifested world is depended exclusively on
the laws set by Nature16. Laws which are innumerable, un-
bendable, and inviolable. Laws that have been regulated
down to the minute detail. The ceaseless work of Nature
through those unbendable laws is the birth, support, and
reconstitution (death) of all the individual mortal beings.
16 Nature, in Greek «Φύσις-Physis» comes from the verb «φύω» meaning to be
developed or to be produced. It is the substantiation of the “True Being” through
the dynamic sum of all the mortal beings, the self-emerged and self-developed
universe. Through this Hellenic realization, Nature is almost equated with the
Being.
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OF ETHNIKOI HELLENES
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The Characteristics of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion
The natural religion of the Hellenes is the Hellenic Ethnic Religion and its characteristics are the following:
1.  It is Indigenous. Its theology and religious prac-
tices were developed, through the millennia in
this specific geographical area were the Hellen-
ic Nation lived freely, as a unique religion spe-
cific to the character of the place and its people.
2.  It is Natural. It developed logically and natu-
rally through the systematic observation of the
Cosmos, by countless enlightened and spiritu-
al individuals that practiced continuously in ap-
proaching and understanding the divine.
3.  It is Organic. It is not a religion which is separat-
ed from the common people and served by a pro-
The Purpose of Human Life.
The end purpose «τέλος» of all individual beings is the
preservation and subsequent perfection of the “True Be-
ing”. The word «τέλος» means completion, purpose, per-
fection17.
The purpose of life for the human being is its partial per-
fection with the aid of its weak but direct closeness with
the Divine through Reason.
For us Hellenes, the purpose of the being that possess
reason is to view the truth and well ordering of the Cos-
mos and to understand and contribute to them18 through
acts of virtue as much as its mortal nature allows. The re-
sult of such actions is the likeness with the Gods, the eth-
ical brilliance, and the perfection of our nature through a
perfect life19.
Socrates said that in all its aspects human life should im-
itate the beauty and the perfection of masterpieces of art.
Arete
The tool that leads to human perfection and likeness to
the Gods is Arete20, which is the conscious and actual per-
17 The word «Τελετή» ritual comes from the same root.
18 “Considering them the truth and the proper order of all, and cooperating in
their creation according to their powers” Apollonius of Rhodes
19 Some of us also believe that reaching perfection releases the soul which is
governed by personal attributes from the circles of corporeality.
20 In Greek «Αρετή» (roughly translated as excellence, goodness or even virtue
in English) is derived from the verb «άρω» meaning to pair up, to unite or to sta-
bilize. The words Arithmetic and Harmony come from the same root.
fessional priesthood. From the dawn of time un-
til today it is an integral and organic part of the
entire political and cultural substance of the Hel-
lenes.
4.  It is Polytheistic. It accepts the natural law of the
requisite multiplicity of “Being”.
5.  It is Ethnic in Nature. It recognizes its own spe-
cific ethnic pantheon and its own unique body
of cosmological narratives, reflecting its world-
view, the ways and the tradition of the nation of
the Hellenes.
fection and superiority. This can be achieved when the
attributes of the Gods have been understood and adopt-
ed by humans as ethical standards to be followed in life21.
The 15th century philosopher George Gemistos- Plethon,
to whom the Hellenic Ethnic Religion in a large degree
owes its survival today, gave a good definition for Arete.
“Arete is the habit through which we become virtuous.
In reality only the divine is virtuous, and we humans be-
come virtuous by imitating it in the degree allowed by
our abilities.”
Death
Everything in the visible world of corruptibility is subdi-
vided corporeal and animate matter, in the same way that
in the invisible world of incorruptibility everything is sub-
divided Divinity. We Hellenes face Death calmly as one of
many natural laws of this world of mortality. Death serves
evolution, by endlessly renewing the forms of the mani-
fested life.
Only those who lack knowledge, worry about if they will
lose or not the temporary and inconsequential sum of per-
sonal characteristics that they understand as “self”. In
the universal level, “loss” and “non-being” lack meaning,
since nothing that is contained in the “True Being” can be
lost. Absolutely no loss is possible in a given and imper-
ishable sum, which contains an endless evolution of forms
and situations.
Death simply disrupts a life, by funneling corporeal mat-
ter into new uses and by returning to the Divine the ani-
21 A few of the dozens of Virtues in the value system of the Hellenes are: Justice,
Friendship, Self-Restraint, Wisdom, Bravery, Generosity, Piety, Ingenuity, Pru-
dence, Honesty, Kindness, Diligence and Magnanimity.
mate matter22, while the consciousness of the “True Being”
is enriched with the memory of one more biography. That
which lives in the Hades of the Hellenes, is not the true
soul of the dead, but a shadow of their previous life, a stor-
ing into the consciousness of the “True Being”, that can
only be recalled by living beings through memorial and
honor giving rituals.
The Soul (Psyche)
The soul23 (in Greek Psyche) is the invisible cause of all
bio-physiological manifestations or in other words the
ethereal connecting element of the beings of the visible
universe. For us the soul is immortal, universal and there is
absolutely no outstanding question whether or not it will
be “saved”. It is revealed in the world of perishability by
animating the heavy matter of mortal beings, and passes
after their biological death in an unseen state, returning
to the Immortal sphere until it will be revealed again and
again eternally, contributing to the continuation of life
and the perfection of the whole Being.
Every individual being (person) of the revealed world
of perishability, contains a large or small, strong or weak,
quantity of the world of incorruptibility. As we stated al-
ready, the further perfection of the whole being is served
by the further perfection of the individual spiritual quan-
tities. Some of us further believe that the spiritual quanti-
ty of sentient beings obtains personal qualities that are re-
tained even after the soul has returned to the sphere of the
incorruptible beings.
22 To reveal the simplicity of this process, the inspired mythology of our nation
presents Death as the brother of Sleep. Sleep, necessary for every corporeal life,
is a temporary and brief “death”, during which the natural
23  The Greek word ψυχή (psyche) is derived from the verb ψύχω meaning to
breathe lightly.

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Contents
- Introductory Note •  The Gods Statue
- About Religions in General •  The Mortal Beings and other Sacred Objects.
•  The Human Being - The Official Calendar of the
- The natural diversity of Nations
•  Life Hellenic Ethnic Religion.
and Ethnic Religions.
•  The Purpose of Human Life. - The Basic Ritual of the
- The Characteristics of the •  Arete
Hellenic Ethnic Religion Hellenic Ethnic Religion
•  Death •  Thanksgiving Ceremony
- The Helalenic Ethnic Religion in •  The Soul (Psyche) (Public Worship)
Modern Times
- The Ritual Practice of the •  Thanksgiving Ceremony
- Basic Principles of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion (Household Worship)
Hellenic Ethnic Religion •  The Altars •  Marriage Ceremony

H
•  The True Being •  The Statues •  Funerary Rite
•  The Cosmos (World) •  Consecration of the Altar, the